IBM, Red Hat Bring Virtualization to Casio

Big Blue has teamed up with Red Hat to deliver virtualization, optimized IT infrastructure and potentially cloud services to Casio Computer Co.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) announced that
they are working together to beef up Casio Computers internal infrastructure
with a combination of Red Hat virtualization software and IBM systems.
Though generally announced this week, the
project has been an ongoing effort for several years now. The combination of
IBM hardware and Red Hat software is common in the industry. IBM noted that
Casio sought out Big Blue and Red Hat to optimize its IT infrastructure for its
business development unit.

In 2010, Casio installed Red Hat Enterprise
Virtualization and Red Hat Enterprise Linux to enhance optimization of its IBM
BladeCenter for increased efficiency and to develop IT systems tailored to
specific sections of its business. Casio also plans to deploy Red Hat solutions
for future endeavors with cloud software, IBM said.

Casio had decided to virtualize its IBM
System x servers in 2005 and moved from proprietary virtualization software to
an open-source hypervisor in 2007. Not long afterward, the company decided to
try Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, which is based on the open-source
Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor.
We saw Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization as
an ideal fit for Casio because it provides a key foundation for cloud
deployments, Atsushi Yazawa, deputy senior general manager of the Production
and Purchasing Division at Casio, said in a statement. With Red Hat Enterprise
Virtualization on IBM hardware, we have been able to reduce costs significantly
while also speeding up procurement, which has helped the company successfully
handle business management challenges.
As a next step, Casio plans to transition to
a cloud environment. The company currently uses its own privately built
consolidated infrastructure platform, but is also considering using a public
cloud environment in the future.

Casios success is part of a growing trend of
companies turning to open virtualization to save money and improve time to market
as they virtualize servers, adopt dual-source virtualization strategies and
build clouds, IBM said. IBM and Red Hat are working together to offer customers
open virtualization solutions to fit these needs that are affordable,
enterprise-ready and easy to manage.
Earlier this year, Red Hat announced the
delivery of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 3.0 with expanded capabilities
for both its server and desktop virtualization management tools and its KVM
hypervisor. IBM resells Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 3.0 subscriptions
along with its support and service on the IBM System x product line.
Moreover, in recent months, IBM and Red Hat
have worked together on SPECvirt performance benchmarks, collaborated to
achieve advanced EAL4+ security certification and worked together to establish
both the Open Virtualization Alliance (OVA) and the oVirt open-source
development community, IBM said.
Open virtualization is important for our
clients, our partners and the industry, Jean Staten Healy, director of
Worldwide Cross-IBM Linux and Open Virtualization at IBM, said in a statement.
Together with Red Hat, IBM is working to help businesses save money and
optimize their IT infrastructures through open virtualization alternatives.
From performance benchmarks to the
leadership of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 3.0 to the widespread industry
support for OVA and oVirt, open virtualization has seen incredible momentum in
the past year, said Paul Cormier, president of products and technologies at
Red Hat, also in a statement. We have heard loudly and clearly from our
customers that the industry needs an open alternative, and the combination of
Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and IBM platforms is well-positioned to meet
that need.

Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.